Queen Elizabeth looks dispirited arriving at church ahead of royal crunch talks

Crowds cheered the monarch after Sunday Service commenting that her 'heart must be really broken'.

The Queen looked dispirited as she pulled up to Sunday service ahead of crisis talks over Harry and Meghan’s future on Monday.

Well wishers gathered to offer their support to the 93-year-old monarch as she arrived at the 16th Century St Mary Magdalene Church on her private Norfolk estate on Sunday morning.

Royal fans commented on the Queen’s downcast expression, saying her heart ‘must be really broken’, as she walked into the church, close to where she will hold a crisis meeting in Sandringham tomorrow.

The Queen is preparing for intense talks with Harry, William and Charles on Monday to find a ‘workable solution’ to the issue and decide on the ‘next steps’.

Her Majesty wore a camel-coloured coat and hat, decorated with feathers which bore the colours of the Omani flag, perhaps to pay tribute to her ‘good friend’ Sultan Qaboos bin Said following his death yesterday.

Among those in attendance was Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, who arrived on foot as the Queen pulled up in the back of a chauffeur-driven royal vehicle.

When the Queen’s oldest grandson was asked how she was doing, he responded that she was ‘alright’.

As she drove away following the service, the crowds cheered her on and applauded her in solidarity, understanding the weight of the discussions she will face tomorrow.

Many in the crowd offered their opinions on the matter and said they felt empathy for the Queen, as they queued to get a glimpse of the Monarch.

Jean Acton, 70, from Fakenham, said of Harry and Meghan: ‘I think they should give any monies back. You can’t have your cake and eat it. I just think they’ve done the dirty on the Queen.’

Speaking about the Monarch, she said: ‘I feel desperately sorry for her. It must be horrible. For any parent. Let alone if you’re a royal or not.’

Ms Acton’s daughter Abbe Jelley, 47, said Meghan has to do what she thinks is right for her family, adding: ‘I just think if that’s the decision she’s made and wants to live her life that way then fair play.

‘They have said they want to be independent so they shouldn’t then be able to expect us as a country to pay for their security.

‘I understand why people are unhappy about what’s happened. I think she’s getting a lot of nasty comments from the press and some of it I think is getting a bit personal, unkind really. So, I do feel sorry for her in that respect.’

She added: ‘I think the Queen’s heart must be really broken.’

Paula Myhill, 38, who lives near Norwich, who was at the front of the queue, said she feels sorry for the Queen, adding: ‘She’s had a bit of a bad year.’

‘My view is that if they want to go, they don’t get anything – they don’t get money, they don’t get titles,’ she added.

‘If they want to have security then they have to pay for it themselves the same way as a celebrity would.’

Her mother, Sue Goodchild, 59, said she thinks the Queen will deal with the family summit ‘systematically’ and added: ‘That’s her grandson. Of course she’s going to protect him whatever she does. She’s a grandma.’

Ms Goodchild added: ‘She’s been exemplary in her role all her life.’

Kate Watkin, 31, from Spalding, who was outside the church with her one-year-old daughter, said: ‘They all need to be happy.

‘We’re never going to know exactly what’s been said. I think the media and us as a country pushed them to do it.’

Speaking as a new mother, like Meghan who gave birth to Archie just eight months ago, said it is a ‘massive’ change to your life.

‘It’s a huge change. No-one will ever prepare you for that. And I’m sure she feels the same. All new mums must do,’ she said.

Harry and Meghan are said to have left the Queen and senior royals feeling ‘hurt’ by their bombshell announcement that they plan to step back as senior royals, become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America.

The Queen is set to be joined tomorrow at her private Norfolk estate of Sandringham by Prince Harry, Prince Charles and Prince William for the crisis talks – where the ‘next steps’ will be decided, a source has told the PA news agency.

It will be the first time the four will have met since the issue engulfed the royal family, and it is thought Charles, the Prince of Wales, will be travelling from Birkhall in Scotland, William, the Duke of Cambridge, from his Kensington Palace apartment and Harry, the Duke of Sussex, from Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle.

Meghan may participate remotely, after returning to Canada to take care of baby Archie.